The show will take place May 17-18, at the Double Tree Hotel, in Bloomington, MN. For two days, MnCUN will supply business meetings, engaging speakers, educational sessions and entertainment to all credit union professionals, volunteers, and vendors looking to increase their knowledge of the credit union market.

Make sure to stop by and see us in the exhibiting area at booth #202 to pick up a free gift (limited to the first 50 attendees) and to learn more about how Survey and Ballot Systems has helped other Minnesota credit unions with their voting efforts.

SBS election services include:

• Traditional paper ballot elections
• Online voting
• On-site elections
• Hybrid voting systems
• Member surveys

If your credit union election could benefit from conducting the highest quality voting process available, with guaranteed and certified results, make sure to visit www.surveyandballotsystems.com for more information.

Make sure to join us June 4^th or 11^th as we discuss the advantages of hybrid elections. Learn how providing multiple ways of voting can increase participation, decrease costs, and help you get more out of your current election efforts.

SBS staff will be on-hand presenting and answering questions on:

• How paper, web, phone, and on-site voting can form a hybrid process
• How multiple voting medias can increase response
• Why hybrid elections tend to outperform single participation methods

Two sessions available, click the links below to register…

Tuesday, June 4, 2012 at 10am CST
Tuesday, June 11, 2012 at 10am CST

This is a complimentary webinar and limited to the first 100 people that register for each session.

Questions about hybrid elections or content you want us to cover in the presentation? Let us know in the comments below.

As cooperatives and credit unions increase membership, the concept of “ownership” gets lost on some members.  These members do not feel like owners and aren’t involved in membership meetings, actively participate in volunteer positions, or take part in voting.

Consider the following conclusions and data from a research project completed by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in 2002.  The conclusions are important for all cooperatives and credit unions as they consider their governance practices:

“In general, the stronger the identification as member-owners, the more satisfied and loyal members are to the co-op. But, there is usually no statistically significant difference in satisfaction and loyalty levels between those whose primary identification is as a member-owner and those who feel like they are both member-owners and customers.  The most consistent and significant difference in satisfaction and loyalty across all studies is between those who have some identification as member-owners (the ones identifying themselves as “member-owners” and those identifying themselves as “both” member-owners and customers), and those who feel like “customers” only.”

When credit unions and cooperatives do not actively engage members in the news, activities, and governance issues of the organization, member-owners might become disconnected with the organization.  To encourage member participation, reassure and reinforce to members that they are more than just customers – they are decision makers steering the future of their credit union or cooperative.

Questions or comments for Kevin Lytle from Member Allegiance LLC? Please post them in the comments below.

This is a quick note to our blog readers to make sure to check out SBS’ latest success story…

Established in 1920, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), in Albuquerque, NM represents the healthcare professionals who perform medical imaging procedures or plan and deliver radiation therapy. The election is an important initiative as members select officers, board directors, and representatives for the ASRT House of Delegates. Members cast votes primarily via online voting, but can request a paper ballot as an alternative.

While ASRT had been working with an online election vendor in the past, they sought an organization that could accommodate additional flexibility needed for the project and guarantee an excellent voting experience for members.

Read on to learn why ASRT selected Survey & Ballot Systems as their “true election partner”….click here to read the entire case study.

Leadership’s Election Concern #5 – Price

Every organization is concerned with implementing a cost-effective election. The first step in ensuring you have an efficient voting process in place is to map out your election and find out what it is costing you. Include employee time, travel costs, and materials (including paper, postage, and event space). Once you have completed this exercise, you will have a better idea of your election’s actual cost. Find the elements and areas you think can be optimized. To get you started, here are some of the most popular trends we are seeing with member organizations looking for election savings:

• Consider online methods. If your current voting process is run exclusively through paper, consider online options. Online voting saves on paper, postage, and printing costs and can be an efficient, convenient participation method for your members.
• Examine the annual meeting. There has been a recent trend, especially among cooperative organizations, to examine the cost of holding the vote at an elaborate annual meeting. Instead of budgeting for food, drink, entertainment, and a venue on top of the price of holding an election, organizations have trimmed the party and concentrated on business. Doing so focuses leaders and members on organizational objectives and encourages an efficient gathering and democratic process.
• Squeeze more value from your election process. Every annual election is an opportunity to identify trends in your member-base. Be sure to analyze the key trends.  Besides overall response, consider things like first-time voters, member turnover ratio, voter dropout rates, geographical hot and cold spots, plus any number of other demographic cross tabulations.  Grabbing those insights are key ways of building value and making the election budget money well spent.
• Outsourcing to a professional. Lastly, think about outsourcing your election to a third party. Vendors specializing in election services can often create custom voting options that are less expensive or price comparable to in-house solutions. With this option, you also gain the advantage of keeping staff focused on serving members, instead of becoming poll workers.

Take a look at what your process is really costing your organization and use the above tips to ensure your election is efficient as possible. For more tips on election savings and running a cost effective process, make sure to reach out to a SBS Election Expert for a complimentary consultation.

Thanks for tuning into this blog series. We hope you got a better understanding of leadership’s top election concerns and how to address these points with some best-practice advice.

Have ideas for our next blog series? Let us know in the comments below.

Leadership’s Election Concern #4 – Participation

In general, leadership correlates higher response rates with greater member engagement and satisfaction. High election response also gives leadership greater confidence in the results because more members affirmed the outcome. To ensure your organization is engaging as many members as possible in an upcoming election, employ some of these tips:

• In order for an election to be successful, members must know when the election is taking place. Using a variety of channels to remind your membership about the election will increase the chances that they vote. Try incorporating reminders in direct mail pieces, email messages, social media channels, on your organization’s website, or on flyers mailed with membership dues.
• Perhaps the most crucial factor affecting voter turnout is member familiarity with the candidates and issues. Voters should be familiar with the candidates and their platforms, as well as bylaws or referendums that will be voted on well before the election. Consider a voter education campaign to inform voters of issues and offices up for vote.
• It’s crucial to allocate sufficient time for members to vote. A voting window of at least 3-4 weeks gives members enough time to get informed about the candidates and issues and then place their vote.
• Offering a combination of voting options will increase the chances members participate in your election. If your organization is not capable of performing a hybrid-election on its own, seek assistance from a trusted election services partner.

Elections are all about engagement, so take advantage of the opportunity to connect with as many members as possible. Remember, the more members that participate in your election, the greater the perceived legitimacy of the vote.

Up next – Calculating the price of your election process…

Now announcing the Cooperative Election Handbook…

Co-ops around the country are realizing the benefits of well-run elections: improved member satisfaction, greater participation, increased transparency, and cost savings. By making an election the best it can be, cooperatives create the perfect opportunity to engage members while practicing good governance.

To help cooperatives form successful voting efforts, we put together a helpful guide that outlines:

• The benefits of well-run election efforts
• Common election misconceptions
• Best practices of co-op elections
• Strategies for boosting voter participation
• Preparing co-op staff for a voting event

The Cooperative Election Handbook collects findings from our years of serving the co-op community. It is a complimentary resource that can be downloaded at: http://www.surveyandballotsystems.com/resource-library/resources/co-op-elections-ebook/

We hope you find the content useful when planning your voting events. As always, make sure to reach out to us with your questions on the best ways to run cooperative elections.

Leadership’s Election Concern #3 – Protection

Elections can sometimes be contentious and passionate issues for those involved. Having safeguards in place can protect your organization from legal challenges, costly recounts, and skeptical membership. If your organization places high priority on protection, check out the tips below for some proactive ways for defending your election process and results:

• Your election should be an auditable processes that produces certified results. If this isn’t the case, you need to put in place the procedures that will protect your organization in the event of an election recount or challenge.
• If you have an online election, make sure the voting process is built on a modern web framework. A modern web framework ensures that pages update automatically, online voting applications are safe and secure, and web forms accurately capture data.
• Partnering with a trusted election services vendor is another good option. A third party managing the vote promotes transparency and good governance. Members will be assured of election integrity knowing the organization had no influence over the process, tabulation, or outcome.

Elections are important events that determine leadership and shape the future of organizations. Don’t risk possible legal challenges or speculation by leaving your election exposed and unprotected.

Up next, why leadership is concerned with election participation…

Today, we are pleased to announce the launch of the SBS Webinar Center, an online resource library containing all of our past webinar recordings and presentations. Now, leaders of member organizations and election managers have one Internet destination to access educational, on-demand presentations on private member voting.

The SBS Webinar Center can be accessed at http://www.surveyandballotsystems.com/resource-library/resources/webinars/.

If you haven’t viewed one of our webinars, we encourage you to do so. Check back often to find future presentations we will be hosting on topics like election trends, advancements in technology, and the importance of successful voting efforts.

Past webinars topics include:

• Five Things Your Organization Needs to Know About Online Voting
• E-Voting for Cooperative Elections
• Improving Election Participation
• How Three Organizations Improved Their Elections

Leadership’s Election Concern #2 – Privacy

In an election, the security of voting information and the privacy of member data must be paramount. If something goes wrong, members may lose trust in the election process and the organization itself. If an organization wants to emphasize protecting ballots and info, certain precautions can be enacted, including:

• Developing a chain of custody for all ballot materials, so the organization knows where ballot and voting information is at every point of the voting process.
• Examining the security of member databases; specifically, the transmission of sensitive files within the organization and to outside partners.
• Incorporating safe storage procedures for election results, including policies for stored records and the back up of results.
• Outsourcing the election process to trusted third party vendors. Often, election service vendors have advanced security options available, including: in-house programmers and support staff, the use of enterprise-level data centers, and assurance that the election is auditable.

When it comes to an election, organizations shouldn’t take chances with privacy. Putting in place the proper precautions ensures the security of voting information and protects valuable memeber data.

Up next, why leaders are concerned with protecting the organization during an election or voting event.

Click here to read part one: Leadership’s Election Concern #1 – Precision